Local Batman fans not fazed by deadly Colorado theater shooting

Fans at the first showing of “The Dark Knight Rises” at Showcase Cinemas in Randolph had seen news of the Colorado theater killings hours earlier. They didnt’ give it a second thought

By Lane Lambert

The Taunton Daily Gazette, Taunton, MA

By Lane Lambert

Posted Jul. 20, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jul 20, 2012 at 8:16 PM

By Lane Lambert

Posted Jul. 20, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jul 20, 2012 at 8:16 PM

RANDOLPH

» Social News

Bryan Noyes, his brother Dan and their friend Manny Noe are big Batman fans. The Stoughton trio made their plans for an early viewing of the new movie “The Dark Knight Rises” weeks ago, so they went together to the 10:30 a.m. showing Friday at Showcase Cinema De Lux.

They’d all seen the news of the deadly Colorado shooting at a Batman screening just a few hours before. They were appalled that a gunman had shot and killed 12 and wounded another 59 at the midnight showing, but they didn’t for a moment consider staying home.

“People are just weird,” said Brian Noyes, 26, who was wearing a Batman shirt.

Noe, 23, nodded.

“He’s probably unstable,” Noe said of James Holmes, the accused gunman. “There’s no reason for someone doing it.”

Fresh as the news of the Aurora, Colo., shootings was, many other fans at Showcase were also unfazed.

“I didn’t give it a thought, not one,” Abington High School graduate Justin Rasetta said.

“These things will happen,” Craig Sabina of Brockton said. “I just hope the theater will have better security.”

Owners of local theaters were tight-lipped on that question.

The movie opened across the world Friday with midnight showings in the U.S. The shooting prompted officials to cancel the red-carpet premiere in Paris, with workers pulling down the display at a theater on the Champs-Elysees.

Around the U.S., police and some movie theaters stepped up security for daytime showings of the movie, though many fans waiting in line said they were not worried about their safety.

At Norwood-based National Amusements, which owns Showcase Cinemas in six states, a spokeswoman declined to comment about security changes.

“We think it’s safer without discussing what we will be doing,” spokeswoman Rebecca Stein said.

Randolph Police Chief William Pace could not be reached for comment on whether his force will provide extra officers. No police cruisers were visible outside the Showcase Cinema Friday morning.

AMC Entertainment, which owns a 10-screen theater near South Shore Plaza in Braintree, issued a statement saying it was working with local police to beef up security at all of its theaters.

“We will not allow any guests into our theaters in costumes that make other guests feel uncomfortable, and we will not permit face-covering masks or fake weapons inside our buildings,” AMC spokesman Ryan Noonan said in an email.

Regal Cinemas, which has a 14-screen theater at the Independence Mall in Kingston, published a statement on its website, stating, “The security and safety of our guests and staff is always our number one priority.”

Page 2 of 2 - Colorado police identified the shooter as James Holmes, 24, a former medical school student. They say Holmes had a shotgun, an assault rifle and two pistols, and set off a gas canister before he began shooting.

Police and FBI agents used a ladder truck and a pole to put a camera into Holmes’ apartment, and discovered that it was booby-trapped.

As of Friday evening, police had not said whether Holmes was influenced by “The Dark Knight Rises.” The movie includes a scene of a mass shooting and bombing at a packed football stadium.

That question wasn’t bothering Corey Fisher of Brockton. The Army enlisted man was at the Showcase Cinema in Randolph with friends for what he called a “bachelor party” the day before his wedding and a return to Fort Bliss, Texas.

“People used to get killed for a PlayStation,” he shrugged, referring to the popular video game consoles.

Fisher’s friend Bryan Jannello was there for a good time, too – but the Colorado killings were on his mind.

“We might sit in the back row now,” Jannello said.

Material from The Associated Press was used in this story. Lane Lambert may be reached at llambert@ledger.com.